Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Even though it felt like a waste—just back from cleaning his apartment for four hours after S City, only to be sent on another assignment to X City—Lu Yan accepted the task.

He was, after all, curious about what Zong Yan looked like now.

System: [Just… brace yourself a little.]

In Tang Xian’an’s dreams, most people’s faces were blank. So, the few who did have features inevitably stood out.

In Lu Yan’s memory, Zong Yan looked like the quintessential high school heartthrob from the basketball court, the kind whose eyes would crinkle into crescent moons when he smiled.

X City was in Shannan Province, a region historically famous for pig farming. Even in the technologically advanced 22nd century, it remained the nation’s meat locker.

Coincidentally, the notorious high-risk contaminated zone, the Slaughterhouse, was also located in X City’s outskirts.

Rumor had it that at a certain hour past midnight, you could see figures on the streets—shirtless butchers with serpent tails and boar heads, clutching blood-stained cleavers, scouring the world for fresh meat-pigs.

Summer temperatures were universally high, but X City was not only hot; it was arid. The lack of rain made Lu Yan, a fish out of water in more ways than one, deeply uncomfortable.

He sniffed the air. A faint, salty-metallic scent lingered in the dryness.

The coast smelled of the sea, forests of greenery and decay. Coming to X City was like walking into a giant butcher’s shop.

Corpse-feeding flies buzzed chaotically. Lu Yan had barely stepped off the plane before at least three smacked into his face.

His expression remained impassive, but internally, he was crumbling. Suppressing the urge to turn around and board the next flight back, he ducked into a duty-free shop for a hat and a face mask. He added sunglasses and gloves. Only then did he feel marginally better.

Wrapped up so thoroughly, with his naturally detached aura, and met by a X City Pollution Disease Control Center escort dressed in a sharp suit—the man was clearly ex-military—the scene briefly resembled paparazzi shots of a top-tier celebrity at an airport.

Several onlookers pulled out their phones.

Most work for Awakened operatives fell under confidentiality agreements, unsuitable for public spectacle. The staffer immediately raised a hand. "Please, stop recording!" he said, several times.

His protests only drew a larger crowd.

Forced to retreat through a special passage, the staffer ushered Lu Yan into a waiting car.

System’s voice was especially punchable: [Oppa, give me your autograph! Seriously, you should debut in the entertainment industry. 2.08 million a day isn’t a dream—beats what you make at headquarters.]

Lu Yan had no desire to engage.

His body temperature ran low. Despite the August heat and his layers, he wasn’t sweating. He kept his protective gear on even inside the car.

The accompanying staffer wore an awkward smile. "My apologies, Mr. Lu. X City has been like this for years now. Headquarters has sent people several times, but no solution has been found."

Lu Yan: "Is it because of the 'Slaughterhouse'?"

Staffer: "Most likely. It’s… manageable. The Slaughterhouse’s pollution source isn’t contagious. All these years, despite the stories, no one in X City has actually seen it. It’s just that the city’s missing persons rate is relatively high… And because of the Slaughterhouse’s presence, X City has never had a second recorded case of Pollution Disease. Overall, public security is quite good."

Lu Yan thought the staffer was being overly optimistic, probably from lack of direct experience with pollutants.

How can one tolerate others snoring beside their bed? The principle held true for both humans and pollutants.

Even if X City could tolerate the Slaughterhouse, would the Slaughterhouse tolerate X City?

In its eyes, X City was probably just its personal pig farm. The people living here remained blissfully unaware.

Or perhaps, even if anxious, most ordinary people had no other choice.

To Lu Yan, X City was a skyscraper built directly on a seismic fault line, perpetually on the verge of collapse.

He decided he would file several warnings to headquarters about the situation here. As a provincial capital, X City’s population was far from small.

The car drove straight to the X City Pollution Disease Control Center.

After verifying his employee ID, fingerprints, and other data, Lu Yan was led to the innermost medical wing of the Center.

The ailments of many Awakened had long since strayed beyond science. The resident "doctors" here were actually researchers from the Institutes.

The medical wing’s layout felt familiar to Lu Yan, not much different from a standard hospital corridor. Except the ward doors were all reinforced special metal, requiring staff ID cards for entry and exit.

The wards could isolate pollution and, to some degree, restrict the use of innate abilities.

When Lu Yan arrived, a researcher from the First Research Institute was already waiting.

He was an elderly man with a severe face, his brow heavy with an arrogance born of long-held authority.

In the past, the First Research Institute was the undisputed leader among the thirteen, boasting the longest history, the most advanced technology, and having made significant contributions to Pollution Disease control.

But now, with the Institute Director having absconded with Subject 01, the remaining researchers felt an intangible pressure, especially regarding experiments, which faced more constraints.

Still, this pressure remained within tolerable limits—for now.

The Director had told them he wanted to conduct a new experiment with the Hound, one that hadn’t received headquarters approval.

He wanted to push the Hound’s Aberration Rate past 100.

It was common knowledge that with similar data, pollutants always exhibited greater offensive power.

In the past, Gong Weibin had conducted experiments: transplanting "loyalty" genes into Aberrants, pushing their Aberration Rate over 100, and observing the results.

The facts proved that after receiving the "dog" gene, these pollutants showed no aggression toward their masters. It proved pollutants, like other animals, could be domesticated.

These results filled the First Institute researchers with new hope!

Gong Weibin believed Awakened would be the same. Moreover, compared to Aberrants, Awakened possessed greater self-control to restrain their inner desires.

But this proposal met with unprecedented, fierce opposition from headquarters, causing it to be shelved repeatedly.

"Progress cannot be made without cost!" Gong Weibin had declared, his voice thundering. "We pursue truth! We believe in data!"

"These hidebound traditionalists, incapable of change! At the current rate of pollution spread, ordinary humans will soon be obsolete! Awakened will soon be obsolete! Only pollutants can fight pollutants!"

"I volunteer to be the one sacrificed!—History will prove we were right."

"This time, I am taking the Hound and leaving to complete this experiment. You need not help me. Join the others in condemning me. The First Research Institute has always been the lighthouse of human civilization!"

The day he left, the atmosphere within the First Institute was one of solemn, tragic resolve.

……

……

Lu Yan observed the researcher. His name was Wei Chengwu.

The other man scrutinized him back. Though merely an ordinary human, Wei Chengwu’s presence was unyielding.

At the First Institute, he had dissected more Awakened than Lu Yan had ever met.

System gave him a glance: [Wei Chengwu. Team Leader, First Research Institute. A devoted follower of Gong Weibin. Participated in multiple human modification experiments. Collected low-sequence Awakened with incomplete Aberration from around the world as test subjects. Believes Awakened are monsters, no different from pollutants. An extreme hawk.]

The Center Director offered an ingratiating smile. "Mr. Lu. This is Senior Researcher Wei Chengwu from the First Research Institute. He is currently in charge of Subject 07."

Lu Yan gave a slight nod, offering nothing more.

Wei Chengwu’s displeasure showed. "Though we belong to different departments, I am a Senior Researcher, a high-ranking title. You are only C-Class, a mid-level title. Don’t the youth today have any manners?"

Most of the time, Lu Yan wasn’t one for conversation.

But that didn’t mean he couldn’t speak.

Lu Yan turned. "My apologies. A Senior Researcher. I have assisted in resolving two A-Class incidents, one B-Class, and two C-Class incidents. Roughly equivalent to indirectly saving about a hundred thousand lives. What contributions have you made to humanity?"

A muscle twitched in Wei Chengwu’s cheek. "How is that comparable? We researchers may not be on the front lines, but we invented pollutant fusion surgery, developed special drugs for Awakened… solving Pollution Disease problems at the source. Does that not count as contribution?"

"Those are the contributions of all the Institutes. I have never denied them. Some achievements are even worthy of being called great." Lu Yan’s reply was soft, his tone gentle. "But what does any of that have to do with you?"

"I—"

The Director, sweating bullets under the crossfire, interjected, "Mr. Lu, Dr. Wei. Perhaps we should go see Subject 07 first."

Wei Chengwu snorted coldly and fell silent.

Lu Yan’s brow furrowed slightly. "Is he coming too? I don’t enjoy being observed by strange individuals while using my abilities."

The Director sucked in a breath. "Dr. Wei is Subject 07’s assigned researcher…"

"I am his researcher!" Wei Chengwu’s blood rushed to his head, his words turning reckless. "Who do you think you are?! You’re just a free blood bag! If something goes wrong with 07 mid-process, could you bear the responsibility?!"

Lu Yan’s expression darkened. He turned, his voice flat. "In the eyes of Institute researchers, those with healing abilities are just blood bags. Is that it?"

Director Wang felt the situation had spiraled far beyond his capacity to manage.

He said, "Gentlemen, please, let's not argue. We're all fighting for humanity's future. How about this—I'll contact headquarters first. See what they decide..."

As he spoke, Director Wang opened his pager, hitting the direct line to headquarters.

"...In short, that's the situation," Director Wang's voice drifted in from the corridor outside. "Mr. Lu says if Dr. Wei observes, he will abandon the treatment of Subject 07. Dr. Wei insists he must observe."

A few minutes later, the director returned.

He looked at Wei Chengwu, bowing repeatedly in apology. "My sincerest apologies, Dr. Wei. Subject 07's aberration rate is already critically high. It was only because our research methods failed that we sought a healing-type Awakened's assistance. Isn't that right?"

The outcome was clear.

Wei Chengwu's expression soured further. Before him, several powerfully built staff members had already positioned themselves between him and Lu Yan.

The director turned to Lu Yan. "Mr. Lu, please follow me."

As he passed Wei Chengwu, Lu Yan couldn't resist pausing.

He stepped closer, bent down, removed his sunglasses, and whispered into the older man's ear, his voice a low, cold murmur. "You know what they say about old thieves who refuse to die? Stay away from my patient. You filth."

[Talent 111 - Delirium]

*

A cacophony of noise flooded Wei Chengwu's ears.

He saw Lu Yan's lips move, forming words he couldn't hear at all.

But Wei Chengwu's gut told him they weren't pleasant. He snorted through his nostrils and stormed off, sleeves flapping.

At first, the noise was faint. Barely noticeable if you weren't listening for it.

Wei Chengwu left the Control Center and returned alone to the staff dormitory, intending to plan Subject 07's next modification.

He bent over his desk to write. The noise in his ears swelled, chaotic and disordered, like the whispers of devils.

Wei Chengwu was just an ordinary man. He hadn't even awakened a Talent. Perhaps that was why—or perhaps his mind was already unsteady—but his reaction to the delirium was exceptionally violent.

His mind plunged into extreme confusion and disorientation. The grating, piercing noise made him clamp his hands over his ears in agony.

Blood seeped from Wei Chengwu's nose and ears.

Before his eyes flashed the most traumatic experience of his life—twenty-seven years ago, in the laboratory. A careless mistake during an experiment. An Awakened who had turned into a pollutant, biting his arm clean off.

That damned pollutant. All he'd done was open it up without anesthesia. Awakened didn't need anesthetic anyway.

Wei Chengwu thought of today's humiliation, and a wave of bitter resentment swelled within him.

He had dedicated his life to fighting the Pollution Disease, only to be treated with such injustice. To have a mere upstart like Lu Yan lording it over him!

In that instant, Dr. Wei felt his entire life had been a monumental failure. There was simply no point in living.

And so, Wei Chengwu posted a suicide note in his social circle, expressing his disappointment with headquarters' stance and his despair for humanity's future.

Then he opened the window, climbed onto the ledge, and jumped from the top floor of the dormitory.